However, the number of groups is far below the 213 large groups encountered in fiscal year 2019 during the migrant surge driven largely by families from the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
At the time, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said that the ongoing border crisis “leaves many minors and families at extreme risk of being exploited by traffickers, human smugglers, gangs, and other nefarious actors seeking to profit at their expense.”
These large groups often include children and families, who generally turn themselves into border authorities and do not try to evade arrest.
The latest data shows the pressure officials are facing at the border and comes as the administration makes a public relations pitch to explain its efforts.
He emphasized that a “Border Patrol station is no place for a child” and said DHS is working with the Department of Health and Human Services “to move them quickly.”
CLARIFICATION: This headline has been updated to clarify that data about large group encounters is from this fiscal year.
Source: CNNPolitics – Breaking News